Coastal Breeze News

Most retail jewelers will consider this question an easy way to suffocate a sale, but nevertheless it is an intelligent question. What would be expected to be a rare or expensive gemstone has changed over the centuries. We all know the four basic precious gemstones: the king of kings, the diamond; and then, of course, the ruby; the emerald; and the sapphire. Guess what? The playing field has changed. Today there are gemstones that are actually more expensive than diamonds! For example, rare Russian alexandrite can fetch tens of thousands of dollars per carat and can exceed the cost of ... Read More »

Another season has passed and the dragon fly summer is in full bloom. Fortunately for me, I had an OK season; I certainly didn’t break any sales records, with the price of gold being at an all time high, not to mention the economy. I’m truly grateful that my two island shops are still functioning and healthy; a special “thanks” to my fabulous clientele who may be reading this. Surviving a summer on Marco? No matter how I budget both mentally and monetarily to get through the lean summer months, something always comes up, and as for all the beautifully ... Read More »

Not long ago I spent an hour trying to convince a very determined young woman accompanied by her mother not to tear apart a diamond ring she had recently inherited. “But I don’t like it!” she cried. “It” was a ring that belonged to her grandmother who had recently passed away and bestowed to her only granddaughter who she obviously loved very much. But this ungrateful young lady was adamant on removing the antique cut diamonds and resetting them into something “new.” This was not my first heirloom rodeo; not the first of these sticky inherited jewelry situations. I am ... Read More »

Most of my loyal readers know that I’m primarily a goldsmith, but I am also an entrepreneur and also run a gift and clothing boutique on the island with my wife and there is no more joyful experience than dealing with the public. Please don’t misunderstand the slight sarcasm. I have worked with the public from the tender age of fourteen in my home town pumping gas, checking the oil and tire pressure, and cleaning the windshield in the dead of winter (when there were full service gas stations!) I also worked two days a week learning the jewelry trade ... Read More »

Many years ago I touched on this subject: Hotel Auctions. It begins with a full page newspaper ad, at a major hotel here or in Naples. Promises of seized jewelry or art to be auctioned off at ridiculously low prices for two days only! (Supposedly procured from drug busts, tax seizures and my favorite, “from the B. Maddoff estate”.) My advice: Run! Only last week I was asked to do an appraisal on an “estate bargain.” Although the accompanying laminated paper work and certifications of authenticity were indeed impressive and very professional, it was a bunch of horse hockey! The ... Read More »

I had to do something totally against character the other day: I refused to repair a piece of jewelry for a new customer. Now wait… those of you that know me personally are probably shocked and appalled because normally I will accept all jewelry repairs no matter how complicated or challenging. The hundreds of repairs my shop pushes out a month, be it season or off season, proves this. The funny thing about the “piece” in question is it was purchased only a week ago in some Caribbean jewelry emporium.  There it lay on my counter the poor hapless ring ... Read More »

It’s no secret that jewelry styles and designs tend to follow ladies’ fashion trends. If it goes out of style, sometimes it is only a matter of time before it will be the rage again. Many of today’s fashion statements are actually statements of the past. Lately that would include name pendants, bracelets and even rings. Talk about retro. I have created several pieces for my younger customers here on the island. This is definitely a 70’s thing. Forty years ago it was a lot more involved. To create each piece of personal jewelry it had to be engraved on a ... Read More »

Unusually beautiful and equally expensive, but why is it such a nuisance to wear? In my line of work I am often called upon to right terrible wrongs. No, nothing like the nostalgic super hero Mighty Mouse, yet I am expected “to save the day,” so to speak. I’m talking about jewelry that has issues, like “it hangs all wrong,” or “it snags on everything,” and most commonly, “why does it keep falling off?” I have often mentioned that jewelry is wearable art, but it should also be practical to wear. One of my first questions to a customer requesting ... Read More »

So here I go again harping on and on about “Rings, prongs and the women who abuse them!” Oh! It’s touchy subject? Thirty times a day or more, I either offer or I’m asked to clean customer’s rings. Suntan lotion, soap, and most basic food groups can get lodged behind diamonds and gemstones making them dull and listless. But after some light buffing, a little ultrasonic cleaning, and a couple of blasts of the steam cleaner, you have a happy shiny diamond or gemstone ring. In most cases it’s a simple procedure except when prongs are worn or missing. If ... Read More »

Years ago I wrote a story about how I could roughly figure a customer’s personality by the kind of watch they might wear. I got many chuckles and bent a few noses out of joint regardless of the fact it was mostly true. And you know what? The same can be seen by the jewelry one wears also. Jewelry personifies sophistication, class or practicality, and let’s not forget ostentatious or downright gaudy. Being in the business, I admit my wife and I do enjoy wearing some of the examples of our trade, but some of our colleagues in the business ... Read More »

More than once in my career as a goldsmith I have been unwillingly appointed to be the advisor to a mother’s emotionally painful decision to present or not to present their departed mother’s or grandmother’s most precious treasure… her diamond ring, to her beloved son for him to betroth the inherited engagement instrument to the love of his life. The new fiancée to be or not to be may be loved by all but… This is a family heirloom and when purchased many decades ago cost $900 of grandpa’s hard earned money. That diamond in this day and age has ten ... Read More »

It’s a question I am often asked, seeing that I make my living, designing creating, and repairing jewelry, but it is still a tough question to answer. For centuries gold has been a symbol of wealth and success. Wars were fought, regimes toppled, civilizations even erased. Tons of gold was well spent or frivolously squandered. For example, amongst the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, their royalty and high society wore pounds of the gleaming metal to symbolize their wealth and position. Kind of like our rap music stars of today. That was then, this is now. Some folks may possess only ... Read More »

A Goldsmith’s Reflections by Richard Alan It was the most interesting holiday season I have ever experienced in my forty years in the jewelry business. There was not a single “must have piece of jewelry” that the industry repeatedly and in an annoyingly redundant manner attempted to sway the masses to purchase for the ultimate holiday “Wow” piece of jewelry. Year after year it was always something; Of course you remember the blitz of advertising from the diamond conglomerate De Beers, first there was the must have past, present and future diamond pendant that depicted a diamond pendant of three diamonds ... Read More »